Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-12-19

OF these, pillow with the inscription in blue |
violets, sour Papa" was placed on Parsons |
coffin On that of Lingg we've laid two |
wreaths of flowers and immortelles, contrib |
uted by the Central Labor union and the |
Brewers union, OF Cleveland, together with |
bunch of roses from his sweetheart |
Wreaths were also laid on the other Baskets |
by relatives and members of the committee
Then the lids of the baskets were removed,
leaving the remains exposed below the glass,
and it was announced that every one present
would be afforded final opportunity Of gaz-
ing upon the features of the dead There
was an instantaneous crush toward the plat
form, but order was quickly restored, and
for an hour or more the people passed by the
caskets in single file. There were grey-headed
men and white-haired women, with totter-
ing footsteps; girls and boys not out of their
teens, and mothers and fathers with babes in
their arms Nearly every one displayed a
red ribbon piece of Grape, or black
rosette Few of the women could control j.,
their emotion, and their tears fell copiously,
while many of the men wept freely.
The faces of the dead were calm and
placid. Indications of decomposition, how
ever, had made themselves manifest not
only in the sallow discoloration, but in the
purple spots which stood out upon the cheeks
and foreheads Of the dead men The casket
containing the remains Of Louis Lingg was
placed at the end of the platform, and as the
file Of people passed by and looked down
upon the features, which in spite
Of the skill of surgeons and embalmers
still remained most horribly disfigured, few
could repress cry of horror. About two
thirds of the gathering had viewed the re-
mains when the rapid approach Of dusk
gave warning to the committee that the
formal ceremonies should be FASTENED The
members of the Socialistic Mannerchor
were massed at the head of the platform and
sung the solemn German hymn, Am Grade
Unser Freunde"-"At the Grave of Our
Friends"
When the funeral chant had concluded
Joseph r Buchanan stepped upon the plat
form Immediately beside the casket contain
ing the body of Lingg, and deep hush at
| once fell upon the assemblage. He said that
they had met together to pay a last token Of
respect to their deceased comrades, to gaze
upon their faces, and bid them final fare
well. They were met there as common
people, as people whose cause the dead men
/ ndu cnhulplOHeu WHOSt rights lHef udu es-
poused and for whom they had given their
lives. They had gathered moreover to bufy
all differences, if any existed, in the ranks of
their sympathizers, and to start
afresh that movement in behalf
of the people for which they had forfeited
their lives The dead men before them re-
presented different nationalities The bodies
before them were those of martyrs-martyrs
| in the cause of labor, martyrs in the cause
| for which those around them would struggle;
| and in years to come the en- tire world would
recognize the fact, and the journals that to-
| day denounced them and their cause would
| yet be found singing the praises of the men
who died for freedom. There were no dem
onstrations during the delivery of the opening
address,
Capt. W. P. Black, the counsel for the
| Anarchists throughout the memorable trial,
| was next introduced, and he devoted long
1 address to comparison between the dead
men and the Savior. He said that it was
\ nearly nineteen centuries since there came
| into the world one whose name was a house
hold word wherever the civilization of Christ
had shed its light Whatever personal views
| they might entertain in relation to religion,
two things must be admitted. The first, that
Christ had brought connection between the
world and the eternal good; and, second,
chat He had established the principle Of uni
versal brotherhood His cause was the cause
Of the poor and oppressed, and for it they
cast Him out but the cross upon which they
crucified Him became the synonym of honor
and glory.
"Has the world reached its ultimate of
| progress of honor, and of development
said the speaker as be reached one of his i'm
FASHIONED periods "Look upon those dead
and answer. Their purpose was the eleva-
4 ton of mankind, the amelioration of the
condition of those about them. They
| sought to bring about the day Of universal
brotherhood and the world had nothing bet
ter for these men than the gibbet" ss
The speaker paused for breath. Almost at
the same moment long, wild, despairing
cry broke upon the still air and chilled the
blood Of nearly every man and woman in the
throng. Mrs Parsons had for the first time
been led to the casket which contained the
remains of her husband and permitted to
gaze upon his features The ordeal was toe
much for her strength. The air was filled
with the most heartrending cries and walls,
which reached to the most remote boundaries
!
skirts of the crowd, who knew nothing Of
what had ''"upensd in 'front.' sobbed and
wrung their uds convulsively, and even
many men founG. il impossible to force bach
the hot tears. Finally the grief-strickel
woman swooned and fell back into the arms Of
her friends, and was gently conveyed away.
Before order had been restored Gretchen
Spies also fell in faint, and was taken to
the lodge.
"Ah well" said Capt. Black, when he was
finally enabled to resume his address, 1--WE
will take these lessons to our hearth Shall
the memory of those who died for the cause
OF the common people be buried in oblivionl
MOL We do not despair. Underneath the
snow at our feet the invisible flowers are
growing ripe for the bloom, and the cause
for which these men died is growing In
human hearts. It can not be destroyed We
must all die. What matter 1t when the
moment comes, so long as it is in the service
Of the people. But the eternal Father, faith
ful to his teachings, can not deny Himself to
those who have passed out of life in His
service, and we live in the certain hope that
amongst those who will be called to the life
again by the great and noble God will be our
dead-our dead"
Paul Grottkau, who is awaiting sentence in
the Wisconsin courts for delivering an An
archist address, next took the platform and
was greeted with cries Of Bravo" His ad
dress was one of the most inflammatory Of
the style for which he has become notorious
At one moment his long bony forefngers
would be pointed at the collins, the next hi.
fists would be high in the air and his frame
shaking with passion. At nearly every sen
tence he was interrupted by. loud cries Of
bravo" or groans. He declared that the
men before him had been murdered by the
ruling classes. He could read in the eyes OF
his hearers, in the dumb, eloquent Language
OF their souls, and they had assembled to &C
cuse the murderers to declare that the crime.
OF the ruling classes were the sol,
evidence adduced against the mar
tyrs They had been murdered
because they worked for the liberty, enlight-
eminent and welfare of all That was thei
crime For it they were strangled in q COW
ardly, brutal way. They left widows am